World Wide Witness: God's Mission Strategy

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Acts chapter 14 verse 1 at Iconium Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue

Acts 14:1

there they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Gentiles believed but the

Jews who refused to believe stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the

brothers so Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there speaking boldly for the Lord who

confirmed the message of his grace by enabling them to do miraculous signs and wonders the people

of the city were divided some sided with the Jews others with the apostles there was a plot afoot

among the Gentiles and Jews together with their leaders to ill treat them and to stone them

but they found out about and fled to Lyconian the Lyconian cities of Lystra and Derbe and to the

surrounding country where they continued to preach the good news in Lystra there sat a man crippled

in his feet who was lame from birth and had never walked he listened to Paul as he was speaking

Paul looked directly at him saw that he had faith to be healed and called out stand up on your feet

at that the man jumped up and began to walk when the crowd saw what Paul had done they shouted in

Lyconian language the gods have come down to us in human form Barnabas they called Zeus and Paul

they called Hermes because he was the chief speaker the priest of Zeus whose temple was just outside the city

brought bulls and reeds to the city gates because he and the crowd wanted to offer sacrifices to them

but when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of this they tore their clothes and rushed into the crowd

shouting men why are you doing this we too are only men human like you we are bringing you good news

telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God who made heaven and earth and sea and

everything in them in the past he let all nations go their own way yes he has not left himself without

testimony he has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons he provides you

with plenty of food and fills your heart with joy even with these words they had difficulty keeping the

crowd from sacrificing to them then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowd over they

stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city thinking he was dead but after disciples had gathered around

him he got up and went back into the city the next day he and Barnabas left for Derby

they preached the good news in that city and won a large number of disciples then they returned to

Lystra Iconium and Antioch strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith

we must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God they said Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for

them in each church and with prayer and fasting committed them to the Lord in whom they had put

their trust after going through Poseidia they came into Pamphylia and when they preached the word in

Perga they went down to Atalia from Atalia they sailed back to Antioch where they had been committed to the

grace of God for the work they had now completed on arriving there they gathered the church together

and reported all that God had done through them and how he had opened the door of faith to to the

Gentiles and they stayed there a long time with the disciples

thanks very much

well just to remind people that while we go through this section on Wednesday evenings in our gospel

communities we pick up on the same study we apply it a little bit more it's an opportunity to go

through in further discussion and questions that you may have as we seek to apply it to our lives and

to us as a church so come along on Wednesday evenings and be involved in that and of course if you have

other questions at the end please feel free to talk with me afterwards but keep your Bibles open there

at Acts 14 and it's a wonderful adventurous story and we're going to hear what God has to say to us

from this let's pray first of all

father thank you for your servants of years ago people like Paul and Barnabas

who went from place to place to bring the good news

thank you for your friends thank you for your friends thank you that the good news came to countries like Ireland

thank you that people came to us

whether from home or friends or through some other means

we pray that the good news of Christ would impact us afresh this morning and that you would help us together individually and as a church family together

see the different ways in which we have been called to be ongoing servants of that same gospel

empower us fill us with your spirit as we hear you today amen

well do you remember the mission impossible films have you seen them it begins with mission commander swanbeck speaking to agent ethan hunt via a recorded message

here's how it starts good morning mr hunt your mission should you choose to accept it involves the recovery of a stolen item named chimera

you may select any two team members but it's essential that you have a third member of your team and that is naya nordoff hall

you have 48 hours to recruit miss hall and meet me in seville to receive your assignment

as always should any member of your team be caught or killed the secretary will disavow all knowledge of your actions

this message will self-destruct in five seconds

you remember it exciting isn't it

well axe has a similar theme the book is a recorded message outlining the mission of god

and our mission commander is the risen lord jesus who gives us the church his assignments

so if we were to turn axe into a feature-length film and to see it on the hollywood screens

it might go something like this good morning christian

your mission should you choose to accept it involves

speaking the good news of jesus christ to all peoples in all nations

your team members

are the church family

but it is essential that you also have with you the holy spirit

he will empower you enable and equip you to complete your mission as always it is possible that your team or team members

will be caught or killed

should this happen

your captain will ensure the mission

is completed

this message will be repeated

till all have heard

now while axe introduces us to god's mission

it also introduces us to god's mission strategy

god has chosen his church the people that belong to him

to be the means they're at the very heart of his strategy

in bringing the good news of jesus to all nations

and the way that that happens is very simply this

churches

are to plant churches

and that's what we have here in chapter 14

when the gospel is preached from city to city and place to place

look what happens

look at verse 23 of chapter 14

paul and barnabas appointed elders

for them in each church

and with prayer and fasting committed them to the lord

in whom they had put their trust

reaching out with the gospel lead to churches

being established

you see god's missionary strategy is this

that churches would reach out with the good news

and establish new churches

who in turn reach out with the good news

and establish new churches

that's the cycle

and that's the pattern

and crucially the team members

the people who have been called to do it

are people like you and me

the church family

there is no such thing as an individual christian

who goes on about their own business

it is a gathering

a people together

the question is

are we going to accept

this mission

from our commander

the risen lord jesus

well before we see what is involved in church planting

let me just mention a few things here

what are we doing in terms of church planting

well we've got kinsale haven't we

so there's people here who are involved in the kinsale project

the aim

to see a church established

in that town

so it applies to those who are specifically involved

well you maybe think

well i'm not involved in that

well

this church here

in some ways this is an ongoing church plant

we're not fully established in terms of

we're actually still reliant

on outside support

financial support

for us to be able to function the way that we do

so in some ways we are still

in a church planting state

but then of course there are other places

and other ways in which we can be involved

there are other churches

around the globe that need our support

and need our help

maybe it means one of you

or me

or somebody

being sent by this church

to be involved in church planting

so it's extremely relevant

to us all

and what we want to look at here this morning

are four things

that we need in place

to see churches

planting churches

the first one is this

there must be a faithful communication

of the gospel

look at verse one

and what we're going to do is

we're going to look at the first four verses

and just see

how each of those verses

are expanded

and worked out

through the rest

of chapter 14

so verse

one we'll get to in a minute

wherever God's people went

there was a clear

and consistent focus

verse one

at Iconium

so they're in Turkey

Paul and Barnabas

went as usual

into the Jewish synagogue

and there they spoke

so effectively

they were speaking

the good news

that a great number

of Jews

and Gentiles

believed

and in case we forget

what our risen commander

has called us to do

we are reminded

again and again

verse seven

they went to other places

where they continued

to preach

the good news

in verse 24

after going through Pisidia

they came to Pamphylia

and when they had preached

the word

in Perga

they went down

to Atalia

so

that is the focus

now the problem

is not knowing

that this is what

we should do

I think we're all

clear about that

the difficulty is

is what do I say

how do I actually

communicate

this message

well look at how

Paul communicates

the gospel

Paul has just

healed a man

who has been

lame from birth

and we're going to

come back to him

in a little while

but look at the response

of the people

to Paul

after this healing

verse 11

when the crowd

saw what Paul

had done

they shouted

in the Lycanian language

the gods

have come down

to us

in human form

Barnabas

they called Zeus

he was the kind of

the main god

amongst all the gods

so Barnabas

was called Zeus

and Paul

they called Hermes

because he was

the chief speaker

and the priest

of Zeus

whose temple

was just outside

the city

they brought bulls

and wreaths

to the city gates

because he and the crowd

wanted to offer

sacrifices

what a response

nobody has ever

done that for me

it's quite extraordinary

isn't it

to be thinking

they were gods

now we mightn't

find many followers

of Zeus

and Hermes

today walking

around Carigoline

or Cork

but we have

lots of people

in fact

all of us

have our own gods

that we worship

and follow

we all sacrifice

to these gods

we all give our life

to someone

or to something

in the hope

that it's going

to bring us

joy

and happiness

and peace

to our lives

so we give our lives

to things like

our job

to leisure

in the hope

that it's somehow

going to satisfy us

we give our lives

to our partners

to our spouse

we give our lives

to our children

in the hope

that they are the ones

who are going

to fulfil us

we sacrifice

daily

at the altar

of family

and work

and sport

longing

to be filled

Tim Keller

is helpful here

in his book

Counterfeit Gods

this is how he explains

that he says

each one of us

has our own temple

or shrine

whether it's

office towers

spas

and gyms

studios

or stadiums

where sacrifices

must be made

in order to procure

the blessings

of the good life

and ward off

disaster

but the problem

is

these gods

will always

fail us

they always

leave us

empty

longing for

something more

so look at how

Paul responds

verse 14

when the apostles

Barnabas and Paul

heard of this

though somebody

had obviously

translated it

to them

they tore their

clothes

and they rushed

out to the crowd

shouting

men

why are you

doing this

we too

are only men

human

like you

we are bringing

you good news

telling you to

turn away

from these

worthless things

these empty

unfulfilling

gods

and to

turn to

the living

god

who made

heaven and

earth

and sea

and everything

in them

you see the

reality is we

are never going

to find our

true meaning

and our

purpose

in or

in anything

else but

the living

god

trying to

find our

joy in

someone else

or something

else is

either going

to disappoint

you or

it's going

to destroy

you

we are only

truly satisfied

when we repent

and turn to

god

verse 16

in the past

he let all

nations go

their own way

going their

own particular

path

but yet he

has not left

himself without

testimony

each day god

is telling us

that he is here

he has shown

kindness by

giving you

rain from

heaven

crops in

their seasons

he provides

you with

plenty of

food

and fills

your hearts

with joy

god is so

gracious

giving us

one good

gift after

another

and if he

does this

to us

even when

we turn

away from

him

how much

more

will he

fill our

hearts

with joy

when we

turn to

his son

jesus christ

this is a

message of

good news

this is what

fills the

hole in

every single

human heart

christ alone

meets our

deepest need

he satisfies

our greatest

longing

this is the

message

that we can

begin to

communicate

to people

around us

so first

in our

church planting

ministry

we need

a faithful

communication

opposition of

the gospel

to the

people

around us

second we

need to

prepare for

consistent

opposition

this gospel

may be good

news but you

know what

not everybody

will like it

look at verse

one the end of

verse one

there they spoke

so effectively

that a great

number of jews and

gentiles believed

but the jews who

refused to

believe stirred up

the gentiles and

poisoned their

minds against the

brothers and it

wasn't just clever

arguments or verbal

abuse verse five

there was a plot of

foot amongst the

gentiles and jews

together with their

leaders to will

treat them and

stone them but they

found out about it

and they fled

however just

because you move

to another place

or another location

or from one office

to another office

it doesn't mean to

say the opposition

is going to stop

verse 19

then some jews

came from

Antioch and

Iconium and

they won the

crowd over they

stoned Paul

dragged him out

the city

thinking he

was dead

sometimes we

look at this

book and think

oh it was so

easy they just

preached and

people became

followers of

Jesus

now these guys

he was stoned

thinking he was

dead

this is how

hard it was

throughout the

history of the

church God's

people have

always faced

opposition to

the gospel

in fact today

in this decade

more people are

imprisoned and

killed for

telling the

gospel than

at any other

time in history

put together

the issue

for us is not

will I face

opposition

but when

I face

opposition

in other words

we have got to

be prepared for

it

even in a

so-called

Christian country

as Ireland

look at

verse 21

they had

preached the

good news

in that city

this was in

Derby

and they

had won a

large number

of disciples

then they

returned to

Lystra and

Iconium and

Antioch

they had

already been

there

then they

went back

to them

why did

they do

that

well verse

22

to be

strengthening the

disciples

and encouraging

them to remain

true to the

faith

why we

must go

through many

hardships

to enter

the kingdom

they said

let's be

honest with

ourselves we

don't do

hardship and

suffering very

well

in fact as

soon as

something gets

difficult we

want to quit

don't we

we want

out

but if we

know in

advance that

things are

going to be

tough if

we're told

they're going

to be tough

we can

actually prepare

ourselves for

that eventuality

we can be

ready and

equipped as

God's people

and the way

to prepare for

opposition is

not to get

away look at

verse 22

to strengthen

the disciples

and encourage

them to remain

true to the

faith

now that's

the responsibility

of each and

every one of

us here

that's why we've

had students up

here on the

last couple of

Sundays because

we need to

strengthen them

we need to

encourage them

as they go

into a hostile

environment of

university life

where it is

hard

we need to

get alongside

them we need

to be praying

for them

we need to

speak the

gospel into

each other's

lives whether

you're going

into work

whether you're

at home

wherever you

are

Alex preached

a great sermon

on that very

subject you can

listen to it

again online

from first

Thessalonians

all about asking

each other how

is your faith

encourage

spend time

one to one

reading

praying

just do it

make it

natural

I spoke with

somebody this

week and they

said it should

be so natural

for us just

to open the

Bible and

read not to

have it to

explain why

we're doing

it not to

have to explain

why we're

praying but

just to do

it to

encourage each

other in the

faith

things

okay we

mightn't live in

an area where

we're going to

be imprisoned

or killed

but we do

live in an

increasingly

secular place

where the

Christian faith

is just not

tolerated

and if you

are to

identify yourself

as a follower

of Jesus

whether you're

in school

or if anywhere

else if somebody

knows that you're

a Christian

they're going to

think you're

mad

bad or

sad

and it's

going to be

tough

so let's

strengthen each

other in the

faith

speak the

gospel

pray for each

other

so may there

be a faithful

communication of

the gospel

and let there

be a preparation

for consistent

opposition

third

we need a

clear purpose

of signs

and wonders

in our

church planting

endeavours

the gospel

may be opposed

by people

but God

has confirmed

the truth

of his gospel

in amazing ways

we can believe

it

it's true

look at what

it says

in verse 2

and 3

we'll read

verse 2

again

the Jews

who refused

to believe

stirred up

the Gentiles

pointed their

minds against

the brothers

so Paul and

Barnabas spent

considerable time

there speaking

boldly for the

Lord who

confirmed the

message of his

grace by

enabling them

to do miraculous

signs and

wonders

now when we

read a section

like that we

usually get two

reactions and

I'm going to

judge you'll get

these two reactions

here within this

group

one person

will say

oh but these

things are

finished

the miraculous

is finished

we don't need

them anymore

we've got the

bible

somebody else

might say

oh this is

exciting

great

when can we

kind of move

on from the

gospel stuff

and get down

to the real

work of the

church and see

some miracles

happen

well

maybe it's no

surprise but I

actually think

both of those

responses are

wrong

let's see

what the

text says

first

signs and

wonders

are not

the gospel

we must

never think

that the

miraculous

is a suitable

replacement

for the gospel

it's not that

some churches

are into

well you know

the church

over there

they're into

telling people

about Jesus

they're great

at doing the

preaching side

but over here

this church

they're great

at doing the

miracle side

no the

emphasis is

clearly on

the necessity

to speak

the gospel

look at the

beginning of

verse 3

so Paul and

Barnabas spent

considerable time

there speaking

boldly for the

Lord

wherever they

went this is

what they did

this was their

focus their

aim their

priority

you see

signs and

wonders

the miraculous

do not

save people

they don't

transform people's

inner heart

in fact

we're told

in Matthew

Matthew 24:24

24

verse 24

that the

miraculous

can even

be imitated

by Satan

he can't

imitate the

gospel

the gospel

is unique

but he can

imitate signs

and wonders

so we must

never get

confused

only the

gospel

the good

news about

Jesus

is going

to save

people

that's why

we are sent

to preach

the good

news

we are not

sent

to do

signs and

wonders

however

second

signs and

wonders

confirm

the gospel

while the

miraculous

can't

save people

they do

have their

place

again look

at verse

3

they spend

their time

there speaking

boldly for

the Lord

who confirmed

the message

of his

grace

miracles

by enabling

them to

do

miraculous

signs and

wonders

let me

quote John

Piper here

I think

he's very

helpful

if you don't

know who

he is

he's a

pastor

in the

states

he said

signs and

wonders

are God's

witnesses

to his

word

they are not

in competition

with the

word

they are not

against

the word

they are not

over

the word

they are

divine

witnesses

to the

value

and truth

and necessity

and centrality

of the word

in other words

we say

they authenticate

the gospel

they are

signs

like massive

big sign

posts

not pointing

to themselves

but pointing

to the gospel

of grace

pointing to

the Lord

Jesus

to say

this message

is true

you can

believe it

and you

can trust

it

so they're

not the

gospel

but they

confirm the

gospel

and third

signs and

wonders

actually

assist

the gospel

by this

I mean

they can

help people

come to

faith

in Christ

and that

seems to

be the

purpose

of the

miraculous

all the

way through

the book

of Acts

if you

read through

the book

of Acts

you'll

discover

that there

are 17

times

where something

miraculous

happens

and immediately

what happens

after

is it

helps

or leads

or assists

somebody

to become

a follower

of Jesus

look at the

way the two

of them

are with

each other

we've got a

great example

of this

here

so look

at verse

8

here we

have in

Lystra

there sat

a man

crippled

in his

feet

who was

lame

from birth

and had

never

walked

he listened

to Paul

as he was

speaking

Paul looked

directly at

him

saw that

he had

faith

to be

healed

and called

out

stand up

on your

feet

at that

the man

jumped up

and began

to walk

miraculous

amazing

but

please

note

this

healing

is not

done

in

isolation

it's

accompanied

by

the

gospel

so

when we

get to

verse 15

after all

this

crying out

thinking

oh

these

are

actually

gods

who've

come

down

what

does he

say

in

verse 15

men

why

are you

doing

this

we

too

are

only

men

human

like

you

we

are

bringing

you

good

news

telling

you

to turn

from

these

worthless

things

to the

living

God

and the

results

of

preaching

this

gospel

well

we

know

some

opposed

so

miracles

in

themselves

actually

don't

save

anybody

but

some

actually

also

believed

and we

see that

in

verse 23

because

Paul and

Barnabas

appointed

elders

for them

in each

church

including

this

place

where

this

miracle

had

happened

and

they

where

am I

and with

prayer

and

fast

had

committed

them

to

the

Lord

in

whom

they

had

put

their

trust

they

had

become

followers

of

Jesus

you

see

God

can

if

he

pleases

use

signs

and

wonders

to

break

cynical

attitudes

to

the

gospel

destroy

false

understandings

of the

gospel

melt

people's

hearts

they

don't

save

but they

can

assist

in

people

believing

well that

leaves us

with one

more

and probably

the biggest

question

that you've

all got

signs

and wonders

today

well while

miracles can

and still

do happen

it is not

something that

we can

make

happen

look at

verse 3

again

Paul and

Barnabas

spent

considerable

time there

speaking

boldly

for the

Lord

the

Lord

is the

emphasis

here

who

confirmed

the

message

of

his

grace

by

enabling

them

to do

miraculous

signs

and

wonders

signs

and

wonders

are

acts

of

God

which

he

enables

people

to

do

as

he

pleases

to

confirm

his

gospel

and to

see

his

word

spread

to

all

nations

in

other

words

we

don't

get

to

decide

when

and

how

that

happens

any

more

than

we

don't

decide

who

becomes

a

Christian

and

who

doesn't

acts

says

an

awful

lot

about

signs

and

wonders

in

the

miraculous

but

they

are

never

seen

as

necessary

or

essential

to

gospel

proclamation

however

that

does

not

mean

we

should

not

pray

for

God

to

work

his

miracles

I

believe

we

should

in

fact

I

believe

scripture

teaches

that we

can

pray

for

these

things

and

that

we

can

seek

these

things

but

our

prayers

for

such

things

should

be

for

the

sake

of

the

gospel

of

Jesus

Christ

their

purpose

should

God

enable

is to

confirm

the

gospel

and

assist

the

gospel

so

that

people

come

to

faith

in

Christ

now

this

is a

whole

big

area

that

confuses

a

lot

of

people

and

gets

a

lot

of

churches

mixed

up

but

here

we

need

a

very

clear

purpose

of

signs

and

wonders

in

their

relation

to

the

gospel

fourth

then

we

need

a

trusting

dependence

on

God's

work

verse

four

this

is

after

the

preaching

of

the

gospel

as

we

have

seen

and

then

in

verse

four

the

people

of

the

city

were

divided

some

sided

with

the

Jews

and

others

with

the

apostles

and

I

take

it

that

some

were

opposed

but

also

some

believed

the

same

happened

in

other

places

look

at

verse

21

or

sorry

the

end

of

verse

20

the

next

day

Paul

and

Barnabas

left

for

Derby

verse

21

they

preached

the

good

news

in

that

city

and

won

a

large

number

of

disciples

now

how did

that

happen

how did

so many

people

become

followers

of

Jesus

well

look at

verse

26

from

from

from

Italia

they

sailed

back

to

Antioch

where

they

had

been

committed

to

the

grace

of

God

for

the

work

they

had

now

completed

Calvary

in

just

time

and

what do

it

say

verse

27. On arriving there, they gathered the church together, so everybody perhaps in a meeting just

like this, they reported all that God had done through them, and how he had opened the door of

faith to the Gentiles. That's how people became followers of Jesus. The Gentiles were a Bible-less,

church-less, Christ-less bunch of people. They were pagans who were worshipping Zeus and Hermes,

but yet they were completely transformed. They came to faith in Christ, a church was formed in their

own town, and they began to teach the Bible to each other as they encouraged each other in the faith in

all of the opposition. Not because of Paul's power, or because of Barnabas's power. No, it was all because

of God's supernatural work. Look at verse 27, the end again. Because it was God who had opened the door

of faith to the Gentiles. You know what? I can't convince anybody to be a Christian. You can't

convince anybody to be a Christian. Your friends, people within your family who you long to turn to

Christ. You cannot make them a Christian. That's God's work. He alone has the key to open people's

hearts. He is the one who locks that bolted, tightened door that enables people to believe and to put their

trust in Jesus. He opens the door of faith. And as a church, we exercise our dependence upon this

supreme, powerful and awesome God who can cause people to believe. We express our dependence on him

by simply telling people by simply telling people the gospel and praying and praying and praying

that God will open their hearts so that they trust him.

So here is God's strategy for mission. A mission that we have been called on individually.

A mission that we have been called on together as a church. Our risen commander, the Lord Jesus,

has given us our assignment until he should come again. Go and preach the gospel to all nations

in the power of the Holy Spirit. See churches planted in each and every town and community.

And the way that we can do that together is these four things. Faithfully communicating the gospel.

Being prepared for consistent opposition. Having a clear purpose of signs and wonders.

And a trusting dependence on God's work. May that be the case for those who are in Kinsale.

May that be the case for us as a church together. And may this spur us on to send people who are even here today

to new places and to plant new churches as God calls. Let's pray together.

Our Father God, we thank you for this big picture view of your amazing mission plan and your mission strategy

that you would call people like us. This church here in Carragalline

to be at the heart of your mission purposes for this world.

I pray that you would fill us and empower us by your Holy Spirit

causing us to be people who speak the good news wherever we are.

that you would raise up and call people out from this church.

That we may together send them

to be church planters.

That we would get alongside them, praying for them, supporting them and encouraging them.

And maybe now just in the quietness.

That we would all surrender our wills, our dreams and our ambitions.

That we would surrender them to the mission of God.

Father, bless us as a church.

use us to the building up of your kingdom

and to the fulfilling of your mission.

We pray this in Jesus' name.

Amen.

We're going to sing.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.